Publications

Scale is a common well problem, one which tends to occur in the presence of differential pressure, temperature changes, and mixing of two incompatible types of water. In our study, the area focused on for combatting scale is at ESP. Upon ESP application, a differential pressure mechanism is principally needed to drive the fluid from reservoir to surface, and due to this mechanism, scale is often formed and deposited on ESP, especially at intake and pump sections, these are preventing the fluid flow inside ESP and making the motor work harder on heavier loads, thus shortening the ESP run life. This paper will share the utilization and results from the recycle system installed at Mustika A-02. Through a recycle system, scale combat can be conducted during ESP running. With this system, some of the fluid produced is injected back into the well - after being combined with scale inhibitor - through a flexible hose connected from the tubing hanger to the production packer. This injected fluid will protect the water from the tendency to form scale at ESP. Observation will focus on ESP amp-chart and phosphonates residual content record, which indicate the effectiveness of this recycle system. After the recycle system was applied on Mustika A-02 well, the ESP run life increased from 70 days to 620 days and the amp chart showed a relatively smooth trend compared to the pre-recycle system which had been utilized. Based on the amp-chart trend and Phosphonate Residual Content record, it may be concluded that the recycle system makes a contribution in minimizing scale deposition and plugging inside ESP, thus prolong the ESP run life.